Day 5 (Monday, June 24, 2019): Eastern Fjords (from Hofn to Egilsstadir)
We woke up at the Milk Factory to another beautiful day in Iceland!
(Click on each image to see the high-resolution version)
There is a field in the back of the guesthouse. Our room was at the end of the row and we had an excellent view. A few horses were grazing in the field, this was a pretty sight with the Vatnajokull glacier in the distance.
Hofn
Hofn
Some of the horses were pretty friendly and posed for us.
Horse
We drove to the town of Hofn ("Hofn" means "harbor" in Icelandic). Hofn is located on a small peninsula jutting out to sea, which formed a natural barrier that protects its harbor (I guess that is the origin of its name). We took the nature trail that took us to the side of the open water. The view could not have been more perfect. From there, we could also see the two tongues of Vatnajokull.
Hofn
Hofn
Hofn
Hofn
The nature trail took us around a brackish wetland, protected from the open water. There is a small island in the middle of the marsh, forming an ideal habitat for nesting birds, especially the raucous Black-headed Gulls.
Wetland
I took some shots of the water birds in the marsh.
Common Eider hen and chicks
Red-necked Phalaropes
Dunlin
Black-headed Gull
It was then time to say goodbye to Hofn. I took a picture of the metal ball in the square on a low bluff. The structure in the distance is the Hofn Universe Sculpture, a memorial for fishermen lost at sea.
Hofn
We took the zigzagging Ring Road toward the East Fjords. The first place we stopped at was Djupivogur, a very scenic town on the coast.
Djupivogur
Djupivogur
In the harbor, several Northern Fulmars were swimming around.
Northern Fulmar
Redwings, much like their cousin, American Robins at home, hopped around town searching for morsels of food.
Redwing
For some distance, the Ring Road hugged the coast. We made several stops along the coast to take in the scenery.
Coast
Coast
Near Faskrudsfjordur, a fishing village established by French fishermen, the road would veer inland. We stopped to look at the village across the fjord, but did not go in town. It's the traveler's curse, we just could not visit every place along the way.
Faskrudsfjordur
We arrived in Egilsstadir, the largest town in the East Fjords by the long and narrow lake Lagarfljot. We had dinner at the restaurant at the Lake Hotel (quite good), and a walk to the lake shore would mark the end of this day.
Lake Lagarfljot
Lake Lagarfljot
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